Twilmij participated in the ERDF project ''Hatchery of the Future' with the development of 'early nutrition'. The objective of this project was to come up with a fully integrated and sustainable hatchery solution, which responds to current public wishes and requirements. For example, the nVWA (the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) decided, after consultation with the parties involved, that broilers should have access to feed and water within 36 hours post-hatching. Dutch broiler hatcheries have been given approximately five years to achieve this in their farms. Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies, a specialist in technical development of hatchery technologies, was the project leader of ''Hatchery of the Future''.

In this project, Twilmij has developed a feed supplement for day-old chicks that can already be provided in the hatcheries at hatchery level. Uniquely, this composition offers a 'two-in-one' (water and feed) solution by using hydrogel technology. This supplement is applied in SmartStart, Pas Reform's total hatchery concept.

Research from 2017 by the ILVO (Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) on the first prototype of the food supplement already showed a small improvement in feed conversion. A large-scale field study with almost 1.8 million broilers spread out over 145 farms and several rounds showed a significantly lower mortality rate with the SmartStart concept. This difference was realised as early as the first week of life. The effects on technical results are still being analysed in more detail.

The (OP) ERDF East Netherlands programme is a joint subsidy programme of the European Union and the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Gelderland to stimulate economic development. ERDF invests in innovations that contribute to the environment (e.g. lower CO2 emissions) and profitability for companies in the eastern part of the Netherlands.